Panthers Blow Out Hurricanes. Maurice Knows They Can Be Better

If you are a Carolina Hurricanes fan, here is a scary thought: Paul Maurice was not a big fan of how his Florida Panthers played on Tuesday night.

We assume he was watching the same Game 1 everyone else was, the one in which his Panthers took control of the game midway through the first period and rolled to a 5-2 victory against the host Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals.

Only, the Panthers were not perfect on Tuesday.

Maurice does not expect them to be.

Better yes, perfect, no.

“I think the best growth in our team comes off losses,” Maurice said. “I think that’s where we learn more. I didn’t love our game tonight, but I understood it. Significant style change. So, Game 1 is that first look at what your game looks like against a completely different opponent. So, we will have to continue to build that game and get better.’’

But he would like to see a little less opportunity for the Hurricanes, a team that got off 33 shots in the loss, and took 79 shot attempts.

Florida, on the other hand, got 20 shots off on goal, and attempted 46.

Those numbers, while lopsided, do not tell the entire story of course.

The Panthers have had way better numbers in those categories than their opponent and have lost quite a few of them.

“We had good finishes,’’ Maurice said. “They had good chances they didn’t finish on.’’

So, you know who did like his team’s game?

“I didn’t hate our game tonight,’’ Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s going to be hard, it is going to go back and forth. We had our opportunities. We didn’t capitalize and it went in another direction.’’

Regardless, at the end of the day, the Panthers got a big win.

They opened a series with a W for the eighth time in their past 11 postseason series — and of those previous seven, ended up winning the thing.

It was an important first step in what should be a tight, and contentious, series against the Hurricanes.

Even Manny Diaz couldn’t get the Hurricanes going on Tuesday.

He’s a Panthers fan, anyway.

“I think we didn’t love our game,” Carter Verhaeghe said. “Obviously any time you win in the playoffs, we liked our game.’’

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW / FLORIDA PANTHERS

• The Panthers jumped to an early lead and held onto it in Game 1 against the Hurricanes.
• Sebastian Aho could play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, if they still existed. Do they? Anyway, was that first-period goal kicked in? 
• A.J. Greer is having a blast in his first Stanley Cup playoff run. The Panthers are digging it as well.
• We certainly did not get the goalie duel many expected.
• Brad Marchand got tossed from Game 1 after tussling with former Jr. Panther Shayne Gostisbehere.
• Anthony Stolarz said it was the Sam Bennett hit which concussed him in Game 1 of the Toronto series, but he knows it was not intentional or done with malicious intent.
• Matthew Tkachuk, obviously, has great memories of playing in Raleigh. But this is a brand new series.
• The Panthers have been road warriors this postseason.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to the FHN YouTube channel to watch video interviews with the Florida Panthers throughout the postseason. Lots of stuff from Tuesday in Raleigh — and more today.

NHL LINKS / NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

• The Oilers have picked things up just at the right time.
• Jake Oettinger is relaxed going into Game 1 of the WCF.
• Max Pacioretty says the Toronto pressure ‘builds winners.’
• Connor Hellebuyck says tweaks to the Jets may have contributed to their second round exit.
• Evgeni Malkin deserves a proper goodbye — whenever that may be — from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• The Boston Bruins extend Don Sweeney.
• Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders got hurt playing for Team Canada.
• Macklin Celebrini scores a beaut to lead Canada over Sweden.

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 2

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ CAROLINA HURRICANES

Panthers lead Best-of-7 Series 1-0

• When: Thursday, 8 p.m. 
• Where: Lenovo Center; Raleigh, N.C. 
• National TV: TNT/truTV
• National Streaming: Max
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Series Schedule (all games on TNT/tru, 8 p.m.) — Game 1: Florida 5, Carolina 2; Game 2: Thursday @Carolina; Game 3: Saturday @Florida; Game 4: Monday, May 26 @Florida; Game 5*: Wednesday, May 28 @Carolina; Game 6*: Friday, May 30 @Florida; Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 @Carolina
• This Regular Season (Panthers Won 2-1) — At Florida:Panthers 6, Hurricanes 0 (Nov.30); Hurricanes 3, Panthers 1 (Jan. 2). At Carolina:  Panthers 6, Hurricanes 3 (Nov. 29).
• How They Got Here: Carolina d. New Jersey (5), Washington (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7).
• All-Time Regular Season Series: Carolina/Hartford leads 74-49-10, 11 ties
• Postseason History: Florida 1-0 (2023 ECF in 4)